


UnReal

by alexthelioness



Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014), UnREAL (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/F, F/M, Felicity is damn good, Fluff and Angst, Pretty Princess Themes, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-23
Updated: 2016-10-12
Packaged: 2018-07-16 17:58:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7278154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexthelioness/pseuds/alexthelioness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity is damn good at her job. Dealing with whiny girls and pompous suitors on the dating reality show, Cupid's Arrow, she knows how to get the ratings she needs as a producer. But when Oliver Queen is introduced as this season's suitor, she finds it difficult to focus on the ratings and finds herself drawn in by the playboy. As the season plays out, she struggles to maintain her sanity as well as her compassion as she is constantly pushed to get the ratings needed to keep her job.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Royal Welcome

**Author's Note:**

> I spent the whole night watching the entire first season of UnReal and I had an epiphany about a fic with Oliver and Felicity and it kinda warped from there. I hope you guys enjoy it.

"Alright everyone! I need lights, I need sparkles, I need fairytale feelings! I need, I need, FELICITY!" Amanda Waller's voice echoed through the courtyard. The crew continued to shuffle into place, each member avoiding the woman's cold gaze as she searched for her prey. The blonde woman in question emerged from the production truck, adjusting the strap on her bag,

"I'm here! I'm here! Stop shouting!" She stopped just short of the dark woman, taking a moment to slip the walkie earphone into her ear, "What's going on?" Waller looked Felicity over with disdain before gesturing to the suitors room, 

"We have a situation. Queen is refusing to sign the contracts. Something about needing the lawyers to look over it." Felicity gave a huff of annoyance, 

"You waited until 5 minutes before the girls arrived to have me try to get the suitor to sign the contract? We have," she glanced at her watch, "7 hours of hard night, 2 of which we wasted after the plane with my girls was delayed?" Waller shrugged, 

"Just get in there and work your magic. HEY YOU! Just what do you think you're doing, that light needs to be in front of the camera!" Waller stalked off after another unfortunate victim and Felicity rolled her eyes. Walking over to the door she gave a rapt knock and stepped in without waiting for an answer. Looking around she saw her target, standing in front of the mirror, adjusting his tux. 

When Waller had first announced this seasons suitor, Felicity had first thought it was a joke. Playboy Ollie Queen, notorious for wining and dining models, closing out clubs and fighting paparazzi. There was no way the studio would use such a menace as their headliner. She was wrong. Waller had simply stated that their audience didn't care much for the politics, as much as they wanted someone with chiseled features and an even more chiseled abs. Felicity couldn't argue with that logic, she found herself sometimes gazing at the tabloid papers in the lobby of her office, tracing the outlines of his muscles through his shirt.

Even before they had reached the set, Felicity had heard about the temper tantrums that Queen had thrown regarding his living arrangements and a host of other little things. Caitlin had all but shoved responsibility of producing Oliver over to her, observing, 

"I think he might actually get off on me telling him what to do. At least with you, he might listen."

So here she was, decidedly not staring at his ass as he ran a hand through his hair and gave the mirror a grin and a wink. She coughed to get his attention. He turned and raised an eyebrow at her. She took it as her cue to speak, 

"Mr Queen, Waller tells me that you have some concerns regarding your contract. May I ask, what it is exactly that seems to bother you?" He huffed and walked over to the desk on his left and lifted the packet of papers that were his contract, 

"It says here that I have to live in this room for 8 weeks, without a phone, to propose to and get married to some girl that I've never met before? This whole thing is bullshit." Felicity grimaced and crossed her arms, 

"Mr Queen, have you even seen the show?" he shrugged, 

"Please, call me Oliver, and no, but I know the general gist of it. I take out some girls and then I have to commit to one of them, blah blah blah."

"Mr Que-Oliver, let me lay it all out for you to understand. You sign the contract, you get 8 weeks to spend with a dozen beautiful women who are literally here cause they either want to marry you or fuck you, probably even both. The best part is you don't have to do any thinking. After each week you decide which ones you want to keep around and which ones you're tired of. In the end you propose to some bikini model who you will eventually break up with, but who cares cause she gets her 15 minutes of fame for being with Oliver Queen. Now, why you of all people think that is bull shit, is totally beyond me." 

"But what do I get out of it? It feels like prison, having all my movements controlled, no phone, no access to other things." 

"Ha! The reason you're here is damage control. Your family felt that you needed a much needed make over from the recent things you've been doing. Like attacking the paps, or getting caught with a married woman, or more recently, peeing on a cop car." There was a mischievous glint in Oliver's eye as she recounted his deeds but she trekked on anyways, "You being here means you get some free publicity, showing how much of a gentleman you are. A company man, someone that your father can trust with his multi-million dollar company. This wa-"

"Multi-Billion," Oliver interrupted, Felicity stopped for moment, aghast that Oliver and interrupted her, 

"What?"

"You said my father's company is a multi-million dollar company, its not." Oliver looked her over with his bright eyes and give a hint of a smirk, "Its a multi-billion dollar company." Felicity's eyes narrowed menacingly, 

"The point is. You either sign the contract, or you get cut off. Those are your father's, my bosses, orders." Oliver's smirk was back again. It infuriated her. 

"Okay. One of the dates has to be at my club and we'll be done."

"Deal."

"Great." Without even looking at the papers again, he handed them to her. She flipped through them, and sure enough he had signed on all the dotted lines. She looked up at him in confusion, 

"If you signed them already, why did you let me prattle on?" Looking at himself once more in the mirror, Oliver walked towards the door, 

"Because I wanted to see how much fun it would be to mess with you. And I needed the publicity for my nightclub. It looks like we'll be having a bit of fun, Felicity." He winked and walked out the door, leaving Felicity confused as to what had just happened. 

* * *

 

"Alright everybody! We've got 4 hours left of hard night and 14 girls we need to introduce! Lets go!" Waller barked into the walkie. Felicity grimaced at the noise in her ear, but waited for her cue. 

"In 5, 4, 3..."

The music started up and the host, Sebastian Blood, started the introduction, 

"Hello and welcome to Cupid's Arrow, the show where real relationships are formed. I'm Sebastian Blood, your host and guide as we watch these next several weeks as one of these lucky ladies captures the heart of our suitor. First we introduce to you the star of the show. He's a Star City native and makes frequent appearances on the cover of tabloids. Known as the Bachelor with no regrets, will he find his true love here? Here is Oliver Queen!"

Felicity motioned Oliver to the cameras where he stepped up next to Sebastian, wide grin plastered on his face as he looked towards the cameras and back at Sebastian, 

"Thanks for that introduction Sebastian. Could've done without the tabloid mentions." He jokes around with Sebastian for a few moments before Sebastian turns serious, 

"So Oliver, what are you expecting from the next several weeks?" Oliver pauses and for a moment Felicity believes he actually has to think about what he has to say,

"I can't say for sure, but I'm sure I'm going to meet so many beautiful ladies and the ultimate goal is to find one to be my wife." Sebastian nods and moves on, 

"Well I think you've been waiting long enough, its time we introduce the ladies that will be by your side."

Thats Felicity's cue. She radios the limo around the corner to pull up to the mansion. Felicity is very proud of the selection of ladies this year, not cause she chose most of them herself, but they represented what she believed to be the best side of women. There was Gorgeous Laurel Lance, a bombshell beauty with a law degree and an assistant district attorney. There was McKenna Hall, a tough police officer from Star City, Iris West, a journalist from Central City, Nysa Raatko a legendary martial artist. There were a few others that were sure to be interesting, Samantha Clayton, Shado Wilson, and Helena Bertinelli, and a couple others the production team bet would't even make it past the first episode. 

They each step out one by one greeting Oliver with bright smiles and eager eyes. When Oliver goes in for kiss on the cheek from Helena, she quickly moves to capture his lips with hers and starts to French kiss him, wrapping her leg around his waist, bringing them closer. The crew around Felicity give quiet wolf whistles, but it's all Felicity can do to make sure her eyes don't roll to the back of her head. Next to her Caitlyn tuts her disapproval and begins noting things in her binder. After all, Bertinelli was one of her girls, she would have to take care of that. 

The crew cuts for a 5 minute break to allow for the girls to use the restroom and get touch ups. Felicity finds herself by Oliver again. With the camera's off the charming smile is gone. She looks out over the crew and casually speaks, 

"Is it as bad as you thought it would be?" His response is instantaneous,

"Worse." Felicity allows herself a crack of a smile, 

"If it makes you feel any better, 5 of these girls are going to be gone before the day, I mean night, is over. And I know that means you still have 9 girls left, but 9 girls is still better than 14, I mean there's still a lot of choices and assuming you choose at all, I mean-"

"Felicity." His voice stops her mid babble. She's mortified, she hasn't babbled like that since Ray over a year ago. The thought of the camera operator draws her eyes over to where he is standing off on the side, switching the cards in the camera. Almost as though he can feel her gaze, he looks up at her. Embarrassed she looks away, blush creeping up her neck. She shifts on her feet, and Oliver seems to notice the sudden tension. 

"Ex-boyriend?" She looks at him and his eyes flick towards Ray, whose attention is now on one of the women touching up Laurel's make-up. She looks down again, ashamed,

"Something like that," she eventually replies, avoiding his piercing gaze. After a long silence she speaks again, "So do you know who you're going to let go?" Oliver does not seem to appreciate the change of subject. He immediately straightens, and whatever small smile he had before is gone, his eyes looking over the flittering girls in dresses.

"Something like that," he echoes. She looks over at the girls as well. She thinks of the wall in the control room covered in the faces of the girls, underneath each their role in the show. Villain, Wifey, Fillers. Against her better judgement, she speaks up again, 

"They're gonna want you to get keep Helena, get rid of McKenna."

"You don't want that?"

"McKenna is intimidating yes, but she's got heart and brains and sanity. Helena is just obsessed. If you want to actually get something - someone - good out of this, you have to consider yourself before Waller." She can feel the cogs turning in Oliver's brain. He seemed to be actually considering it. Her thoughts were interrupted by Waller, calling her back to the control room through the walkie. She sighed and nodded to Oliver as she went to find her boss. 

 

 

 


	2. On Your Knees Wench

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver is amazed by the behind the scenes work involved with the show, while Felicity works her magic to get the results needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh my god, the response to this pic was phenomenal. i can't believe it. I'm so glad you guys liked it! I'm sorry I've taken so long, but school been kicking my ass. Here's hoping you enjoy this next chapter

Walking onto the set before filming started, Oliver's first thought was of a circus. People parading around, going every which way to complete who knows what task, and most importantly, nobody had bat an eye at him. He had felt a bit of relief at that, expecting people to be either clamoring at him for business advice or alluding to some way of getting in his pants. The inattention actually gave him a chance to breath. He should of known that it wouldn't of lasted long.

The attention from the Cupid's Arrow camera's were different than the paparazzi cameras. With the paparazzi, there was no second chance, there was no do over. One small outburst and next thing you knew, you were the lead story on TMZ. Cupid's Arrow was all about perfection: perfect lighting, perfect hair, perfect vocabulary and perfect scenarios, and if it wasn't perfect Waller would yell cut, scream at one of the assistants and demand they start from the top. Again. Currently they were filming the primary introductions, during which the women would mingle and talk and one by one have their own 2 minutes of whole conversation, or in Laurel's case, 20 minutes of Waller trying to make sure Laurel and Oliver were the perfect distance apart and had just the right conversation, and the lights were appropriately framing Laurel's features. As a consequence, he and Laurel were getting to know each other way better than they meant to. 

They start off talking about Starling and all the places they frequent, and move on to favorite movies and the like, 

"...so you're telling me you've never seen any of the Sharknado's?" Oliver asks, almost offended, Laurel giggles and shrugs, 

"My sister always wanted me to but I was always too busy." Oliver makes an exaggerated gasp, 

"Well  _my_ sister would feel personally offended if she found out anyone, especially someone as beautiful and cool as you, has not seen what she considers a masterpiece of modern film." Laurel blushes at the off handed compliment and out of the corner of his eye, Oliver can see Felicity giving Laurel a silent thumbs up off camera, 

"Well maybe if I make it far enough, she'll be able to right that wrong?" Laurel suggests coyly, now totally aware of the camera on them, Oliver smiles and gives her his signature twinkling eyes, 

"It's definitely in the realm of possibility." If at all possible, Laurel's face turns a deeper shade of pink, and Oliver can see Waller signaling that their time is up. Laurel makes the first move to go,

"Well I don't want to take up too much of your time, with so many women around, i'm sure you don't want to just stick with one girl..." She trails off, allowing Oliver to speak, 

"Of course, I understand." As she rises, he gently cups her hand and brings it to his lips, pressing them softly to her skin. Laurel gives him a wide grin and wanders off towards the rest of the girls. 

The camera turns off as the assistant producers run off to find another girl for the one-on-one. Felicity however stays back a moment looking Oliver over as if studying him, 

"What?"

Felicity shrugs, 

"Oh nothing. Just trying to figure out how you managed to get the one girl in here with a literal law degree to turn to putty in your hands."

It's Oliver's turn to shrug, 

"I mean that's why I here right? To woo women, reestablish my good name, bring in some ratings."

"And get publicity for your club. Can't forget that." Oliver looked started for a moment before giving her a small smile, 

"And get publicity for Verdant." Felicity looked as though to say more, but they were interrupted by Caitlin ushering in Isabel Rochev. As Isabel was on of Caitlin's girls, Felicity had no reason to hang around, so with a final nod she disappeared behind the blinding white lights, leaving Oliver to deal with the woman very obviously trying to adjust her bra so she could get his attention. Oliver sighed and returned to his seat in front of the camera's and the fake fire, settling in for what was sure to be a long night. 

* * *

Felicity moves through the pool deck, dodging cameras and people as she looks for her prey, and she finds her, Shado Wilson, sitting straight on the deck chair, taking small sips of the champagne in her hand. Making sure no camera's were pointed in their direction, Felicity takes a seat next to the woman. 

"Hey you know the point of this whole thing is to mingle and make friends, maybe suss out the competition." Shado gives a dry laugh, 

"Competition? Have you seen these girls," she gestures to the group giggling a few feet away, "they're tall tan and wonderful, and I'm here short, white, and foreign." Shado looks down at her hands and speaks softly, "I don't think I belong here."

Felicity puts a comforting hand on her shoulder, running through the things she should be saying to the girl. Waller had been skeptical that Shado would even make it past the first night, and seeing as Shado was one of the one's Felicity picked, she took it as a personal mission to get Shado at least past the first 2 nights. All she had to do was the give the woman confidence that she could indeed woo the mighty Oliver Queen. Suddenly it clicked, 

"You have a sister right? Mei?" Shado nods, not quite sure where Felicity is going with her train of thought, "Oliver has a sister too, albeit a little younger, but a sister all the same. Now I'm not supposed to be telling you this, but this man loves his sister more than he loves to party. So the best way to get him to look past the gaggle of models over there is to use that to your advantage." Shado looks at Felicity with wide eyes and a gaping mouth, 

"You want me to use his sister as a means to get me further in the game?" Felicity can sense that she's approaching the line. The line between what the contestants would do and not do. She shrugs and leans back in the chair, giving Shado the impression that it made no difference to her. Shado turns away for a moment, and Felicity can tell she's seriously considering it. When Shado nods her assent, Felicity mentally high fives herself. Breakdown or no, she was still the best producer in the area. 

Careful to avoid any upstarts, Felicity pulls Shado to the front of the line for the one-on-ones. She catches her eye as she sits and gives her a nod of encouragement. The cameras roll and the fun begins, 

"So Shado," Oliver starts, already clearly bored with the interviews, "what do you do, you know," he gestures in a general direction, "out in the real world?"

"I'm a lawyer." Oliver raises an eyebrow, clearly thinking about how many lawyers they thought to bring on the show, but Shado seems to sense his train of thought, "It's nothing big really, my sister and I run a clinic with my father. He pays the bills, she takes care of the sick, and I defend them. Nothing as big as the Assistant Defense Attorney." Oliver seems to pause to process her words. Felicity holds her breath, anticipating his words, 

"You have a sister?" Hook, line, and sinker. Felicity breaths a sigh of relief, catching Shados discreet celebratory glance at Felicity. 

"Yea, Mei. We're actually twins. We were kinda inseparable."

"Were?" Oliver's intrigued voice making Felicity grin behind her clipboard, Shado looks away briefly, a sad expression clouding her face. Felicity has to physically restrain herself from whooping in satisfaction. Shado is nothing if not an amazing actress, 

"In all honesty she didn't want me coming on the show. This is going to be one of the longest periods away from each other." Oliver face is filled with sympathy and he moves closer to Shado, placing a comforting hand on hers. 

"I understand. I have a sister too, Thea." Felicity makes a mental note to praise Shado for her amazing surprised face, "We've always been really close, and when they told me I was going to have to spend some time away from her, it made me so upset." This time it's Shado's turn to comfort Oliver, her hands caressing his cheek. "Well Shado, I hope we'll get to see your sister soon. I can't imagine seeing two women with such beauty." The charm is back on and that is Felicity's cue to send Shado back to the girls. In her ear she can hear Waller calling for her in the camera room. 

* * *

As the last girl is paraded away after their one-on-one Oliver is left with a few minutes to himself, presumably to go through which girls he feels should go home tonight. One of the producers hands him a stack of photos of the girls, sort of like cheat sheet. He lays them on the table in his room and starts to rearrange them, picking out a few definite "No's" and a few definite "Yes's." Without a doubt he moves Laurel and Shado to the yes pile. Helena, Brittney and another girl he doesn't care to remember are all immediate No's. He spends a moment considering Isabel before placing her in the yes pile. Each new face becomes increasingly more difficult until he's left with Nyssa and a girl named Kara, an executive assistant at some news corporation. He hears a soft knock on the door and mutters and quick "Come in," expecting Felicity to come barging in telling him it was time to get his face in front of the camera

"Having trouble?" Oliver freezes, not turning around. He recognizes the sultry voice of Helena, "If you want, I can help...clear your head. Make the decision...a little less...hard..." Despite his best efforts, his body just cannot seem to deny the effect the woman is having on him. Placing the photos down on the desk, Oliver quickly turns around, to find Helena slowly making her way to him, her eyes darting down his front, to where he was already clearly very excited. "Oooh," she cooes, "seems like you need some stress relief..." She stops in front of him and makes her way to her knees. 

"Helena..." Oliver stutters out, his mind a jumbled mess. 

"Yes Ollie?" She replies, her eyes gazing up at him from her position on his front. Making a quick decision Oliver moves fast, locking the door, and grabbing a shirt lying around, throwing it at the camera he knew to be pointed in their direction, before returning in front of Helena.

"Now, where were we?" Helena gives him a wide smile before reaching up and unzipping his tented pants.

* * *

 

 It was nearly dawn and they haven't even started  to film the awarding of the roses, and Felicity was receiving all the shit for it.

"Where is my prince charming? There can't be a show without my prince charming! Smoak!" Felicity winces at her name but walks up to Waller regardless, "Can you  _please_ go find our prince in his chamber before I drag him out by his ear!" Felicity nods and sets out to find Oliver. He had been given time to consider who to let go, but it was past the point where he had to think. It was time to act. She approaches his door and knocks once before trying the door knob. Her brows furrow at finding it locked, so she knocks again,

"Oliver! It's time to get out here! You need to give out the roses!"

"Just a minute!" Comes his strained reply, annoyance rising in her chest, 

"We don't have a minute! Oliver you need to be out here now." There's a shuffling and what sounds like a whispered argument before the door is opened and Oliver peeps his head out. 

"Hey! Felicity! Looking annoyed as ever. Now before you get all upset and stuff, please remember I'm royalty." Felicity is about to demand answers when the door is opens wider and she is met with the sight of a slightly rumples Helena Bertinelli.

Felicity is not sure if she's ever had her jaw drop before, but this is for sure one of those situations where it would be appropriate. Helena throws her a wide smile and strides outside, no doubt to get her hair and makeup retouched. Felicity is just barely aware of Oliver laughing at her. She turns her attention back on him, 

"Out. Now."

Oliver seems to sober up as he steps out, making sure to make an exaggeration of zipping his pants back up before he heads towards the platform with the ladies. 

Felicity makes sure to stare down Helena, now looking flawless, as the ceremony starts and the roses are distributed, 

Laurel, Shado, Iris, Nyssa, McKenna, Samantha and Isabel all make it as well as a couple others, and then finally the last rose. Waller has the camera panned to Kara, the obvious choice for the last rose, but Oliver never ceases to surprise, 

"Helena," an almost audible gasp comes from the remaining girls, "Would you stay another week?" Helena is quick to accept and join the others by the pool. Oliver turns back to the remaining girls, sympathy written in his features,

"If it were up to me, I would have you all stay, but as it stands now, these are the ones I've chosen to continue with. Thank you for everything." With that Sebastian takes over, wishing the ladies luck as they pack up to leave. 

Before Oliver is even off the platform, Felicity is there, 

"What the hell are you thinking?" Oliver quirks an eyebrow, 

"I'm thinking that if I'm going to be stuck her for a month I might as well have some fun while I'm at it." Felicity stomps her foot in frustration, 

"You do realize that you're going to have to fall in love with one of these girls right?" Oliver shrugs, 

"That's what my contract says anyways. Besides Felicity, you're not even a competitor, why are you so upset?" Felicity crosses her arms defensively, 

"Kara was one of my girls. She worked her ass off to get to her job and on this show, and almost even quit her job, and you choose a nice piece of ass over her? I thought you wanted to gain a better reputation?" Oliver's smile instantly fades, 

"Listen here Smoak, my job is to pick the girls. Thats it. If you want to get upset over your politics thats fine, but I'm doing what I'm paid for. Are you?" With that, he stalks away towards the girls by the pool, leaving Felicity to wonder, just what the hell was she thinking?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? I know Shado is a little OOC but I thought it fit nicely. Please let me know what you think, drop me a comment or kudos, both are great. Hopefully I'll update soon.


	3. Smoking Gun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver's first group date is imminent, and Felicity can't shake the feeling that Oliver is not all that he appears.

_"Felicity, just what do you think you're doing?" Ray calls from his position behind the camera. Felicity swivels toward him, the alcohol in her stomach sloshing dangerously. Her eyes narrow at him and she takes a step closer,_

_"I'm saving her from a life of doom and gloom thats what I'm doing!" She turns back to the couple under the flowery arches, the man, Cooper Seldon, some billionaire hacker, is down on one knee in front of the woman, Emily something or another. "8 weeks and you haven't even realized how this show has destroyed your life," she points an accusatory finger at Emily, "you do realize that this is just a publicity stunt to prevent Mr. Snowden over here from getting carted off to jail. You'll be lucky if this even lasts 2 weeks before he's off on a jet to some tropical island, without you." Emily has enough grace to look slightly aghast and step away from Cooper. Cooper on the other hand seems frozen with shock._

_"Felicity..." Ray tries again, but the blood rushing through her ears is enough to drown him out. She moves to stand under the arches and turns to face the cameras, still rolling. She meets the hard set eyes of Waller behind the principal camera, and the softer, concerned gazes of both Caitlyn and Lyla behind the secondary cameras. Her eyes finally lock on the one pair of eyes that she knows will determine if this ends well for her or not. Ray's soft brown eyes are looking at her, wide and aghast._

_"This show is literal hell! Using these, girls, manipulating them," she spits the words out as though they are poisonous, "all for some viewers to sympathize with this wannabe felon?" If Cooper is offended by her remarks, she can't bring herself to care. The alcohol is fading fast, and she needs to get these words out before she loses the courage. She extends her hand out towards Ray, "We can leave this hell together, go do something with our talents that are worthwhile. Not sitting here allowing this perverse excuse for a show to continue!" Ray is silent, and for a second, Felicity things it means he's actually considering it, but then he opens his mouth,_

_"Felicity...I-i...you're not...this..." He doesn't even form a coherent thought, but his intentions are clear. He's not going to join her. She can feel the anger rise in her throat. Shrieking she runs to the convertible off on her right. Meant to be used as a parting shot for the would-be couple, nobody thought it would be any harm to leave the keys in the ignition. Without a second thought, Felicity jumps into the car and turns the key. Behind her she can distantly hear people calling her name, but she doesn't care. All she wants to do it get the hell out of there, so she does the only rational thing, floors the gas pedal._

_For a few glorious moments she's speeding along, wind in her hair and the past behind her. That is until a tree pops up out of nowhere. She hears the crash before she feels it, and the next thing she's aware of is the seatbelt she thankfully put on as a habit digging into her shoulder as it keeps her from flying out the front of the car. There's a commotion behind her, and Felicity allows herself a moment to uncross her eyes before unbuckling and stepping out of the car. Behind her the crew stares at her with varying level of shock and anger. Felicity can feel the anger rise up in her chest again. At least she thinks its anger, it feels different this time, almost burning._

_"Oh frack," is all she manages to say before she leans over and retches. As she empties the contents of her stomach she's vaguely aware of a voice calling her name,_

_"Felicity. Felicity. FELICITY SMOAK WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?"_

Felicity sits up suddenly, nearly hitting her forehead on the bar above her bed. On the floor next to her, her walkie talkie continues squawking, Waller's voice clear and persistent, demanding an answer as to where her producer is. Groaning, Felicity slides out of bed and grabs the walkie, grimacing at the noise before answering, 

"Smoak here. Just gimme a second to get my shit together." Waller starts barking orders at her through the walkie but Felicity silences her. She sighs at the sudden peace and sets out to get ready for the day. Rummaging through her half packed bag, she comes across a shirt that she swears she hasn't worn recently, and pulls on her favorite jeans and her panda flats. She gives herself another 20 seconds to enjoy the peace and shake the remnants of her dream away before lifting the door of the truck and hopping out. Now ready for the day, she turns her walkie back on and heads towards the control room. 

When Felicity enters the room, its not even a moment before Waller is calling out to her, gesturing for her to join the other producers sitting at their respective desks. Felicity rolls her eyes and sits exchanging a look with Caitlin before focusing her attention on her peers. With so many seasons of the show, there was always bound to be some changes now and again, and with all the producers that were one and done, Felicity is eternally grateful for Caitlin Snow and more recently Lyla Michaels. 

When Caitlin had joined the show 3 years previously, Felicity had yet to make any real friends among the crew, everybody thinking she was too ruthless to continue any type of friendship. Caitlin however didn't seem to let Felicity's tough demeanor throw her off, and the two became fast friends. The addition of Lyla to their duo the year previously had also made coming to work just a little easier for Felicity, drunk rages and all. 

The three women exchanged pleasantries before Amanda snapped them into business mode, 

"Firth things first, we have some damage control to deal with. The girls are not happy that Helena made it to the round, and neither are the viewers. So for our sake and theirs we have dubbed Helena, the big bad." To emphasis her point, Waller wrote "Bad" in large letters over Helena's headshot. "Today is our first real group date. Mr Queen seems to have a penchant for some robin hood-esque sports, so today we're doing some archery lessons. Smoak," the blonde perks up at the mention of her name, "I need you to work with Mr Queen on getting the feel for how these group dates are supposed to run, on the one on one dates he can go crazy, but he needs to keep it in his pants and keep those eye twinkling. Got that?" She nods, "Great, Michaels, I need you to work Laurel, she's our best shot at creating drama with Helena. I need you to make that happen. And Snow, I need you to work Helena, same concept. I'm not saying I want a catfight at the first group date, but it couldn't hurt." Felicity raises a her hand, to which Waller scoffs, "What is it Smoak? This isn't high school!"

"Well I was looking over the profiles of the girls," Waller's look tells Felicity she needs to the point, quickly, "and it just doesn't seem to me that Laurel would be the type to get into a catfight with Helena. She's out of her league and she knows it. She's not going to waste her time and make herself look bad for someone like Helena." Waller quirks an eyebrow, 

"Well I'm hoping you're suggesting an alternative." Felicity gulps and nods, 

"Isabel and Helena. Isabel may think she's better but there's definitely some bad blood and I know she's not a fan especially with the stunt Helena pulled the first night. Get Isabel and you've got your drama." Waller is silent for a moment, considering her two options, before turning to Lyla, 

"You heard her. Get Isabel. Promise her she'll get to the semi-finals, or hell even a one-on-one. I don't care, just get me what I need." With a final nod, Waller dismisses the producers and they all head off in the directions in which they were assigned. 

As Felicity approaches Oliver's door, she can feel a sense of dread start to creep up her spine. After her inexcusable outburst from the night before, she's not entirely sure how Oliver will respond to her now. Felicity considered herself smart, not just in the book sense, but the people sense and as much as she hates to admit it, she was kinda of hoping that Oliver was something more than just the billionaire playboy from the tabloids. Researching him leading up to production she couldn't help but feel like it was all just an act. Something about the way he held himself in the papers, and the smile that didn't quite reach his eye, made her believe that maybe, just maybe, Oliver didn't really care for the life he lead. The way he talked about his sister to Shado and Laurel, and the small little smile he himself didn't seem to know he had when talking about her, had seemed to confirm her theory. That was, until Helena came striding out of his room with none other than the signature "I just did something naughty with Oliver Queen" smirk and a rose to boot. Now Felicity is left standing outside his room, confused as to whether or not Oliver Queen is who she thinks he is, or who the press thinks he is. 

With a sigh she raps on the window pane, and hears a bit of shuffling before the door is opened and she's met with Oliver's soft blue eyes. His expression drops when he sees her and he takes a step back and crosses his arms, 

"Oh, its the warden. I should have known. Is it time for my hour in the yard." Felicity gives a sarcastic "Ha" and pushes past him into the room. Oliver huffs and closes the door behind her. Felicity turns to Oliver to start speaking, and only then does she realize that he's shirtless with only a pair of low hanging sweatpants covering the lower half of his body. Felicity knew he was hot, but knowing it and seeing it are two different things. Her mouth goes dry and suddenly, for the first time since production started, she's at a loss for words. Oliver shifts under her gaze and impatiently snaps his fingers, "Felicity, my eyes are up here." It seems to do the trick as Felicity is snapped back into reality, averting her gaze from his toned chest.

"Right sorry, what was I saying?" Oliver shrugs and moves to lean against the desk on his right. 

"I don't know. You're the one who barged in here and was staring at my abs." Felicity huffs and finally makes eye contact with Oliver. She doesn't allow herself to get lost in his blue eyes but instead begins speaking, 

"Okay. So today is group date number one. Meaning the first time you will actually be doing things with all the girls at the same time." She internally winces at her own phrasing but pushes on, "Seeing as this is Cupid's Arrow, and you're a real vigilante enthusiast apparently, we've set up archery lessons. Now its really simple-" Oliver snorts, 

"Is it ever really that simple?" Felicity rolls her eyes, and continues on, 

"You start off with all the girls, having them get a feel of what its like and whatever, and then you can move on to the ones you think would be worth the one-on-one date. If you want to keep things interesting, I would pay special attention to Isabel and Helena. Oh yea, and Waller specifically told me to tell you to keep it in your pants, so if you could do me that favor, that would be great." Oliver nodded as she spoke, seeming to take in what she was saying. 

"Groups, then personal, Isabel and Helena, pants stay on. Got it. If thats all, I've got 50 more crunches to do before my 10 am call time." He stands and makes his way to the door, opening it and waiting for Felicity to walk out. She makes it two steps before she turns around again,

"Listen, Oliver, about last night, with the whole Kara and Helena thing, it's just that it took a lot to convince Kara to actually agree to the show, and with everything at Catco-" Oliver holds up his hand, stopping Felicity's apology, 

"It's fine. I understand. All the work you put into the girls and the show, and here I am ruining it. Its enough to make anyone a little pissy. I apologize that my own pettiness got in the way of your running of the show and the girl's livelihood." Felicity again finds herself at a loss for words. Oliver Queen actually apologized for his actions? She must have actually hit that pole in the truck. "If there isn't anything else, I will see you in an hour?" He poses it as a question, and waits for Felicity's subtle acknowledgment as a sign to close the door. Still gobsmacked she heads towards the grounds to check that all the archery preparations are ready. 

* * *

"So you're going to pull back a little further, relax, thats right." Oliver repeats the advice being fed to him by the professional archer in his ear. He wraps in hand around Helena's bow and aims it a little higher. With a zing the arrow goes flying and hits the outer rim of the bullseye. Helena giggles happily and turns to him, her face inches away from his. Oliver can practically feel the Isabel's eyes on his back as he leans in for a celebratory hug. Felicity wasn't kidding when she told him Isabel and Helena would be interesting. 

From the moment Sebastian Blood has announced the group date, the tension between Isabel and Helena had increased, helped along by the goading of Lyla and Caitlin, and their strategic placement next to each other on the mats. The other girls seemed to sense the impending fight and carefully steered themselves away from the drama, which of course forced Oliver to mediate more of his time between the two women. Behind him he heard Isabel call to him in a sickly sweet voice, 

"Ollie, do you mind helping me aim? I think I've got the power down, but I can't seem to hit the darn target!" Releasing himself from Helena's embrace, Oliver turns to go help Isabel. Out of the corner of his eye he can see Felicity behind the camera, staring intently at the screen before her, subconsciously chewing the red pen meant for her clipboard. As he helps Isabel, he can't help but let his mind wander, thinking about the stubborn producer.

After there little disagreement the night before, Oliver found it hard to sleep, so he got up, went to the closet and dug out the phone he kept hidden in his underwear drawer. Making sure he was out of sight of the camera, he powered it on and smiled at the flood of texts his phone was receiving. Being his own personal, private phone very few people had the number, and so most of the texts he received were from his sister, recounting shopping days, keeping him updated on the status of his parents, and a few "I miss you" texts. The other texts were from none other than his best friend Tommy, and most of those read like stories of Tommy's drunken escapades. Pushing himself further against the wall, Oliver selected Thea's contact photo and waited for the girl to pick up, 

 _"Ollie?"_ He couldn't help himself but to grin at the sleepy sound of her voice, 

"Hey Speedy, hows it going?" He heard a rustle and the telltale click of the light turning on, 

_"As good as it can get at 3 in the morning. What's going on? Is everything okay?"_

"Yea, everything's fine. It's just I can't sleep."

_"What did you do?"_

"Nothing, I swear!"

_"...."_

"Okay, I kinda of maybe pissed off one of the producers and put the show off track because I was being petty." Thea gave a hoarse laugh, 

_"Why am I not the least bit surprised? Is the producer pretty?"_

"Thea..."

_"Okay fine, how badly did you mess up?"_

"I completely flipped the script on them, and they're probably going to have to scramble to pick up the pieces..."

_"And..."_

"I might have completely ruined some poor girl's livelihood." Thea gave a sigh, 

 _"Okay Oliver, this is what you do. Tomorrow when you get the chance, you are going to talk to that producer and apologize for being a petty jerk and then act like a perfect angel. Second, you're gonna give me the name of the girl, and we'll see what weight the Queen name has in regards to her livelihood being restored."_ Oliver smiled, leave it to his kid sister to think of a solution off the top of her head at the 3 in the morning, 

"Did I ever mention you're the best Speedy?"

_"Did I ever mention how much I hated that nickname?"_

They exchanged a few more pleasantries before Thea started yawning and Oliver demanded she go to bed. Oliver hung up, turned the phone off, hid it, and crawled back into bed. When Felicity came the next morning, it was easier than expected to apologize, and it was worth it to see Felicity Smoak not know how to deal with a situation. 

Oliver finds himself a few girls down the line when he hears a commotion. He looks up to find Isabel and Helena facing off. He looks to Waller to see if he should interfere, but she gives a subtle shake of her head,  _Not yet._ Meanwhile, the girl's voices begin to rise, 

"...pretend that you're any better than I am just because you have a fancy office in some fancy building," Helena spits.

"At least I have enough class to know when to bow out when I'm not wanted," Isabel sneers

"Like you haven't made it to where you are without getting on your knees once in a while!" Isabel gasps, her face burning, 

"If you think I didn't work my ass off day and day out-"

"Was it your ass or something else," Helena interrupts. Isabel is at a loss for words, and Helena grins, knowing she's won this round. Oliver looks over to Waller again and this time she gives him a slight nod. He rushes over to the girls and places himself in-between them, 

"Girls, there's no need for these unsavory insults. There's enough of me to go around." The women glare at each other for a few more moments before Isabel stalks off back to her starting mat. The camera's pan to get the reactions of the other girls, and Oliver finds his eyes meeting Felicity's. She has a smug grin on her face that screams,  _I told you so_ and to add insult to injury, she points straight at him and mouths,  _This is all on you_. 

Oliver sighs and heads back to Nysa, who seems to be doing fine on her own, already regretting his choice to keep Helena. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the little bit of drama in this chapter. Please please please don't hesitate to comment with questions, comments or concerns, or even just a "Hye this is cool keep going" it really means a lot to me. I hope to update soon but there are no promises.


	4. Your Royal Carriage Awaits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Oliver must do a dry run of his one-on-one date. Oliver and Thea have another secret conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it took so long. I've been working and moving but I hope you enjoy it.

"While I have enjoyed spending the day with all of you, I must now choose one lovely lady to join me on the one-on-one date." If possible, all the women in front of him puff their chests a little more and smile just a little wider. Oliver reaches over and grabs the singular rose Sebastian hands him. The choice was almost too easy, especially after he ran his decision through Waller, who agreed wholeheartedly, talking about something along the lines of increase the drama. 

Oliver pastes on his smile and walks along the line of ladies, it does not escape his attention that each woman he passes seems to deflate as he goes by. Finally he stops in front of his prize. 

"Laurel?" To her credit, Laurel manages to keep a smug off her face, "Would you do me the pleasure of joining me on this one-on-one date?" Laurel gently takes the rose and nods, a blush filling her cheeks. 

Waller calls cut from behind him and the mood of the set breaks. Several of the women he passed up, namely Isabel and Helena huff off in a storm of anger, while a few others - Iris, Mckenna, and Nyssa - walk over to give Laurel their congratulations. As the girls rush off to pack, Oliver finds himself once again alone in the company of one Felicity Smoak. 

They stand in comfortable silence for a moment as Felicity goes through some e-mails on her tablet, the tension from their fight dissipated thanks to Oliver's apology. Oliver finds himself speaking first, 

"So what exactly goes on during these one-on-one dates?" Felicity looks up from her tablet, eyes wide in shock, 

"So you _really_ haven't seen the show hu?" Oliver shrugs, 

"It was never really my thing, more Thea's." Felicity gives a huff of laughter and then moves to put her tablet away in her side bag, 

"The concept is basically you getting to know your date - Laurel - better, in a romantic environment. Waller will give you a couple options to choose from, and then you and I will go scout it out and plan your date. Then you, Laurel and a camera crew will go out on location and voila, there's your one-on-one with gorgeous Laurel Lance." Oliver's eyebrows raise in amusement,

"You and I will be going together to scope out the date?" Felicity breathes hard through her nose, realizing the implication, 

"I'm your producer Oliver. My job is literally to make sure that nothing goes wrong when it comes to you, and that unfortunately includes having the plan every step of your date." Oliver puts a hand over his heart and puts on a fake grimace, 

"Oh Felicity, how you wound me with your words." Felicity holds back a smile, however charming he may be, she has to focus on the job at hand, "So what are my options?"

"Evening picnic in the park followed by a free concert, romantic dinner at the restaurant of your choosing followed by a dip into the club, and last but not least a day trip to the nearby springs followed by a night of glamping by the river."

Oliver draws his brow as he considers each option. Camping was out of the question, he didn't need to know Laurel well to know she would not fare well in the outdoors. The picnic seemed almost too homey, and when he considered dinner, his mind immediately thought of Laurel dressed in a nice form fitting red dress, grinding up on him as they stepped into the club. With that, the answer was obvious. 

"Romantic Dinner for 2 please." Felicity nodded and pulled out her phone to take note, 

"Okay, now all we need is a restaurant and we'll be set for our date tonight." Felicity looked up, "I mean - its not a date, I mean at least not with me. Its just 2 people going to dinner platonically so we can get a feel of what's going to happen when one of said persons goes on an actual date at a later time." Oliver couldn't hold back a chuckle as he watched Felicity's face grow red, 

"Felicity, I get it. Our excursion tonight will be happening at _The Foundry."_ Felicity frowned, 

"The Foundry, I've never heard of it."

"It's a nice place, kinda a hole in the wall, but they have the best Italian in Star City." Felicity nods and jots the name down, 

"Ok, I'll look into it. We'll be heading out this afternoon at 3, so be ready." Oliver nods his assent, and the two go their separate ways. 

* * *

Oliver makes his way back to his room, a small smile on his face as he considers his plans for the night. Seeing Felicity flush over the prospect on going on an actual date with him was almost too cute. The again Felicity herself was beautiful, that he couldn't deny, and the fire in her as she went around getting things done and ordering people - him- around, he had to admit it made him a little warm. 

Oliver enters his room and sets up the camera in his room accordingly so he may give a call to his sister. Unsurprisingly she picks up at the first ring,

_"Ollie?"_

"Hey Speedy! How's it going?"

_"Terribly,"_ she whines, _"What use is it having a secret connection to my brother the reality show star when I still have to learn about all the ladies in his life through the TV?"_

Oliver chuckles,

"The point of the phone is for advice and for emergencies. I'm pretty sure if i spoiled it for you, there would be hell to pay from the producers and you probably wouldn't enjoy it much anyways."

" _Would the hell come from that blonde producer?"_ Oliver pauses, surprised at Thea's question, 

"Felicity? What does she have to do with all this? Wha- How do you even know who she is?" It's Thea's turn to chuckle, 

_"When you were getting ready for the show she came over and talked to me. Wanted to know all about you, your likes, dislikes, what you were good at...your type of woman..."_ Oliver huffs at her suggestion, 

"Thea, you do realize this is a dating show, and she's a producer. She has to ask those questions to cater the show for my needs and personality." Oliver can hear the frown in Thea's voice, 

_"She still seemed really interested. Hey if it doesn't work out with any of those beautiful women you can still consi-"_

"Thea!" He cuts her off, "She's very good at her job, thats why she was so adamant, and about those women. I am actually going on a one-on-one date tonight." Oliver has to hold his phone a foot away from his ear because of Thea's squeals. He eyes the door warily, anticipating Felicity to barge in and berate him for breaking the rules. 

_"Oh finally something good! Is it Helena? God Ollie, I swear I thought this show was supposed to change you. I mean at least you have to have standards, Laurel, McKenna, I mean even Isabel's got more class than that woman."_

"Sorry Speedy, you're gonna have to wait." He glances over at the clock, "And with that, I have to go. I have a run through with Felicity in an hour and I have to finish packing. I'll call you when I can."

_"Have fuuuuuuun!"_

* * *

 

Felicity knocks on Oliver's door at exactly 2:55 for their platonic date scouting trip. She briefly wonders if she's under dressed for the occasion as she looks over her loose pink top and her nice pair of jeans, but her fears are soon quelled when Oliver opens the door. Wearing a nice plain t-shirt with a pair of jeans as well, he leans against the door and gives her a smug smile. 

"Someone's early."

"Someone had to make sure the notoriously late playboy was ready in time for the car ride to Star City." She makes a show of looking impressed at his packed duffel sitting by the door and they stand awkwardly at the door for a couple moments.

Felicity shifts her weight from her soles to her toes, itching to get away from Oliver's penetrating stare. It was only the first week of production and he was already starting to unnerve her, causing her to lose control and start rambling. She can't seem to shake the feeling that something was off about Oliver. The way he presented himself, it seemed too staged, too practiced, almost as though he was hiding something about himself he didn't want the world to see. Whether it was sinister or kind, was still a mystery to Felicity. And Felicity hated mysteries, so she was determined to find out.

Walking to his room she had decided that their faux date tonight would be a perfect opportunity to talk to Oliver. Away from the cameras and beautiful women and lawyers and family, maybe she would be able to reach him, and find a hole in his facade and solve the mystery that was Oliver Queen.

Their awkward moment is interrupted by the vibration of Felicity's phone, her notifications letting her know their car was ready. She gestures behind her and Oliver nods his understanding. He grabs his duffel and follows her out towards the front of the mansion where a sleek black car sits waiting. They don't speak again until they are settled in the car, well on their way to Star City. To her surprise, Oliver speaks first, 

"So Felicity, how exactly did you end up as a producer on Cupid's Arrow?" Felicity shrugs, careful to keep her eyes on the countryside zipping by, 

"I used to work with Waller on another show a little while ago. When she started on Cupid's Arrow she was so impressed by my previous work she invited me to work with her here, and here I am." She can hear Oliver shift next to her, probably thinking of something else to ask, 

"If she was so impressed, why does she bitch at you so much?" Felicity tenses involuntarily, she isn't sure if Oliver knows he's struck a nerve, but regardless she keeps her voice steady, 

"We had some disputes over the direction of the show last year and had a big falling out." Oliver remains silent and for a moment Felicity is grateful for it. She closes her eyes and scenes flash in her mind, 

_Her pleading with Ray, "We can leave this hell together, go do something with our talents that are worthwhile. Not sitting here allowing this perverse excuse for a show to continue!" Waller's penetrating eyes behind the_ _camera, the sudden urge to vomit._

Felicity takes a deep breathed turns to face Oliver. He's already looking at her, and the expression on his face is not one she recognizes immediately. She thinks might resemble something akin to sadness, but its gone before she has time to analyze it, and Oliver's signature smirk and sparkle is returned, 

"So what about you Oliver? What makes someone go from party animal, to club owner, to bachelor seeking love?" This time its Oliver who breaks eye contact in favor of taking in their surroundings. 

"Lots of things."

Felicity tries not to feel hurt that Oliver doesn't trust her enough to share, but to his credit, she had been vague about her situation as well. The again how do you explain to the star of your show that the only reason you still had a job after publicly, drunkenly comparing it to selling your soul and crashing a very expensive car is because your boss thought you were easier to control with the threat of charges hanging over your head. 

Yea. She understands why Oliver might not want to share. 

They pass the rest of the trip in comfortable silence, the only noise the sound of the radio the driver had turned on to entertain himself. When they pull in front of _The Foundry_ Oliver leaps out and holds the door open for Felicity, waving off her protests with, "This is a practice date right? Gotta make sure I remember to be romantic."

The waiter takes their names and when he recognizes Oliver's he leads them to a table closer to the back of the restaurant, pushed up against a window. Even during the day, the view is gorgeous. Next to the restaurant is a lake, much larger than the ones Felicity is used to from Las Vegas. She sees little families here and there playing on the shores and on the docks, as well as some couples taking strolls around the perimeter. The most striking thing about the location had to be the little stage set up on the banks of the lake a little further up from where they sat. She could see an assortment of different people milling around, some just enjoying the weather, others very obviously setting up for a performance for the coming night. 

"Wow," is all she manages to say. She looks back and almost wishes she stayed silent when she sees the mischievous glint in Oliver's eyes. "Somehow you managed to find the one hole-in-the-wall restaurant that actually might rival some of the best restaurants."

Oliver shrugs and takes a sip of the water the waiter had provided them "Call it Queen intuition, but I knew there was something special about this place before, and made sure it remained that way even after I bought it." Felicity coughs on her water,

"You  _bought_ this place? What the hell Oliver? Is there any part of Starling that you don't have your hands in?"

Oliver hands her a napkin to wipe the water off her chin, "Relax Felicity, it's this and Verdant. That's it." Felicity looks as though she doesn't believe him, but turns her attention to the menu the waiter handed to her, "You should try the Noodles, they fry them in this amazing peanut sauce and it's literally to die for."

Felicity gives a chirp of laughter, "No kidding. Seeing as I'm deathly allergic to peanuts, I think that statement would be very accurate." Oliver's face pales and he quickly calls the waiter over, 

"My date here has a severe peanut allergy, so I must ask that you please make sure that whatever she orders is made from fresh everything. Got it?" The waiter nods dutifully and flees back to the kitchen, before Felicity can get a word in edgewise. 

"Oliver, you know I'm perfectly capable of doing that on my own, I have been living with the allergy for my entire life."

Oliver shrugs but doesn't look up from his menu, "Sometimes people are lazy and sloppy, if you had told them they may not have made the effort to actually get you fresh plates and pans. I think our date would've been ruined if I had to save you with your epi-pen." Felicity can feel her face heating up, 

"First, this isn't a date, its a scouting. Second, I appreciate the sentiment, now if you don't mind will you bring the waiter back so we can order, eat and get this over with?" With a smile Oliver nods and gestures the waiter over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here hoping I update with the rest of the date soon. I've been busy with move in and stuff. Lmk what you think!


	5. The Royal Ball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicty's not-date continues and Felicity gets a call.

Being 6 in the evening, Verdant is still not open, but they're able to get in with Oliver's key. When he pulls it out, Felicity blinks in confusion, momentarily confused as to why he would have a key before remembering that it  _was_ Oliver's club. It makes sense that he would have a key. The house lights are on and there's staff running prepping the place for the evening crowd. The strobe lights are running and theres a soft back beat as the DJ tests out the sound system. One thing Felicity notices is the amount of  _Green_ there is. Varying shades all over the walls and tables and lights as well, giving the whole place a jungle vibe. 

She turns to Oliver, "Is Green your favorite color?"

He just shrugs as a young man in a red hoodie hands him a clipboard to sign, "No. Why do you ask?" She's about to point out all the green before she spies the mischievous twinkle in his eye. Instead she spins, observing the club, searching for spots with good angles for the cameras. 

"Is there a VIP room? Or somewhere more private where we can film you and Laurel?" Oliver nods and extends his arm, gesturing for Felicity to slip her hand through. She gives an exaggerated sigh but slips her arm through anyways. She tries to ignore the warm sensation in her stomach at the small gesture. They walk up a staircase hidden behind the bar and emerge into a large glass room complete with a lavish couch, a mini bar and a gorgeous view of the dance floor. "Will this suffice?"

Oliver's voice snaps her out of her daze as she mentally maps out shots of the room. 

"It's perfect."

Oliver drops his arm and makes his way towards the mini bar, "That was easy. Would you like a drink? As a toast for a successful day?" Felicity circles the room, getting closer to the glass wall. She shakes her head at his offer, "No thanks. I don't drink." She avoids his questioning gaze and instead pulls out her lens viewer, planning out the ideal camera positions. Oliver seems to get the hint and pours himself a tumbler of scotch and sits on one of the couches. Felicity sits soon after, taking extra care to make sure there is at least one couch cushion length between them. 

They sit in awkward silence for a moment. 

"Who do you think will make it to the finals?"

Oliver seems to be taken aback by her question but considers it anyways, "Are you asking who I would pick or who Waller would want me to pick?"

Felicity shrugs, "Both I guess." Oliver remains silent for another couple moments and Felicity has to physically keep herself from fidgeting. She's not sure why the question seems so difficult. "Objectively, I would like to see Laurel  and Iris and maybe even Nyssa in the finals. I don't know they seem the most genuine, even if Nyssa does scare me a bit."

"And who do you think Waller wants in the finals?"

"Oh thats easy. Either Isabel or Helena. Probably Helena, she seems crazier, better for audiences. If Laurel doesn't start reacting to this madness they might just pick Shado or McKenna." Felicity is surprised by how aware Oliver is of the role the audience plays in the selection. She figures that years of dealing with tabloids had a little to do with it. 

"You're pretty spot on, but if Laurel keeps her head, they're definitely going to put McKenna in her place. Shado is too much of a wild card." Oliver turns to look at her inquisitively. His gaze causing her to blush, "What? Why are you staring at me?"

"You said they."

"What?"

"You said _they_ would put McKenna instead of Laurel."

"So?"

"You realize that you're one of the people who gets to control everything that happens? You said so yourself, you're a puppet master." Felicity cringes at his wording, 

"I meant it as a general term, they, us, we. They're interchangeable." Oliver shifts again, his expression more serious, 

"I don't think thats it."

Exasperation claws at the back of Felicity's mind, "Well what do you  _think_ it is?"

"I think that whatever 'dispute'" Oliver uses air quotes to amplify his point, "that happened last year is still affecting you today and that no matter how good you are at this job, you really,  _really,_ don't want to be here. But it doesn't matter what I think. I know you're smart and talented and capable of running this whole show on your own and no matter how bad Waller seems to push you, you can handle it, because you're that amazing." His last words leave Felicity breathless. Staring into his eyes, she can tell he's being honest, probably more honest than he's ever been since they met. It terrifies her. 

All of a sudden Felicity is aware of just how close they had gotten on the couch, both leaning on the center cushion, and Felicity isn't certain but she thinks she can almost see Oliver leaning in, his eyes flicking to her lips before returning her gaze. She can feel herself leaning into him, feeling the pull, of what she's not sure but it almost too strong to resist. Slowly, she closes her eyes and leans in. She can feel the heat from Oliver's face as they get closer. This is it. This is happening, she's going to kiss Oliver Queen. 

_RING RING_

They both jump back as the ringing of Felicity's phone interrupts the moment and leaves her scrambling to answer it. 

"H-hello?" She cringes at the crack in her voice and it doesn't escape her notice the sly smile on Oliver's face,

"Is this Felicity Smoak?" 

"This is she. Who is this?"

"Hi, this is Sara Lance. Laurel's sister?" Felicity jumps off the couch, and moves to the door, signaling Oliver to wait when he jumps up after her. 

"Hi Sara, what can I do for you?" Theres a pause at the other end of the line and Felicity thinks Sara might've hung up before the other woman speaks

"Um, I know that its kind of against the rules, but I really need to speak to my sister." The slight desperation in Sara's voice catches Felicity off guard, 

"I'm sure I can pass along a message, is everything ok?" Behind her, Felicity can feel Oliver take a step closer, his interest clearly piqued. Sara takes a deep breath on the other end, and Felicity is very much concerned. 

"It's our father, he's a cop, and there was an incident tonight and he was shot. He's in the hospital now and I know she's on the show, but I think-I think she should be here...so I'm not...we're not..." Sara chokes back a sob and Felicity can't help but wish she could comfort the girl, so she does the next best thing, 

"When I get back to the studio I'll see what I can do." Sara gives an audible sigh and relays the hospital information to Felicity so she may pass it along to Laurel. 

When Felicity finally hangs up and turns around, she almost runs straight into Oliver who has moved behind her. 

"Is everything okay Felicity?" Felicity shakes her head and goes to gather her stuff, studiously avoiding Oliver's gaze. 

"I need to get back to the mansion and talk to Walter. Something came up, we have to postpone the date."

"What? Why?" Felicity moves to the door to exit, but Oliver steps in-front of her, "Felicity tell me whats going on, maybe I can help." Felicity shakes her head and finally looks at him, 

"I can't its not my place to tell you. All I can tell you is that we need to get to Waller." Oliver nods and gestures her through the door. When they make it to the car, they don't speak, not of the situation at hand, nor the moments before the call. 

* * *

 

"Absolutely not." Felicity is surprised her mouth doesn't drop in shock, "Under no circumstances do well tell Ms Lance about her father. We cannot have any further delays in production."

"Are you kidding me?" Pure rage flows through Felicity. If Waller didn't currently already have one federal charge over her head, she would have knocked her out, "Her father could be dying! Her sister is alone in the hospital and you're telling me you're refusing to tell her so she can go be with them because it'll impact the show?"

Waller's steel gaze doesn't falter, "That is exactly what I'm telling you." Felicity is left speechless. She knows Waller is particularly ruthless when it comes to the show, but she didn't think that she didn't possess an ounce of sympathy, "Detective Lance and his family are well aware of the risks of his job. Queen and Lance will go on the one on one as planned, and when Lance returns we will relay the information and she may take a sabbatical if she wishes. But until they are back from that date, neither Lance nor Queen will be told of the situation."

"Oliver was with me when I got the call. He know's something is up. What am I supposed to tell him?" Waller shrugs,

"I don't know, make something up. Thats what I pay you for." Waller turns back to the screens and starts conferring with the technicians, and Felicity knows a brush off when she sees one. With a huff she stalks out of the control room and right into Oliver. 

The contestants aren't allowed in the control room, so Oliver had been waiting outside on one of the lounge chairs. He pops up when he see's Felicity and rushes to her. Felicity feels a pang of guilt when she sees the concern on his features, 

"Is everything okay? Whats going on?" Felicity shrugs him off and pretends to fiddle with her tablet, 

"I got a call from a friend in the publishing industry, she wanted to let me know about a possible leak on the set. Someone seems to have revealed the winner of the one-on-one. Wanted to make sure we knew so we could tighten security and do another phone check." Oliver sits silent for a moment, but Felicity can see the moment he withdraws all emotion. When did she start differentiate between his expressions, she's not entirely sure, 

"Is that all? We rushed here from Verdant because of a set leak?" Felicity can hear the doubt in his voice but she nods regardless. Theres too much at stake for her to make it all go to shit by telling Oliver. 

"That's it. I know. It doesn't seem like a big deal to you cause you're living it, but its a big deal for us big producer people, cause we have to control the show and with a leak theres so many variables and stuff that its impossible to have the show run properly, and then where would we be. And now I'm rambling and three, two, one." Oliver doesn't even crack a smile. He nods his head and turns to leave. He has to get ready for the actual one-on-one date with Laurel. 

Felicity watches him go, and for the first time since she met him, she admits to herself, that maybe, she might be in a bit of trouble. 

* * *

As soon as he gets back to his room Oliver moves quickly. He locks the door throws the shirt over the camera and pulls out his contraband phone. Without another thought he dials Thea's phone. She picks up on the second ring with a teasing voice, 

_"Hey Ollie! Hows it going in paradise?"_

Oliver doesn't even register her greeting, rather, he gets straight to the point,

 "Are you leaking set information to the press?" There's a pause on the other end of the line, 

_"I'm sorry what?"_ Oliver grits his teeth as he repeats his question,

"Are you leaking set information about the show to the tabloids?" Thea scoffs, 

_"What information Ollie? You're my brother and I can't even get a peep out of you. I know nothing but what they put on the screen."_

"Are you sure?"

_"What's going on Ollie?"_ Oliver sighs and releases the tension in his shoulders. Thea couldn't possibly be the leak. 

"I was going through a date rundown with Felicity when she got a call. It seemed to really upset her, we ran back to the set and she went straight to Waller. She told me it was about a leak on the set. Someone knew about the one-on-one with Laurel."

_"Aha so you did choose Laurel! Roy owes me twenty bucks."_

"Speedy..."

_"Ok Im focused. So you said she mentioned a leak?"_ Oliver grunts his affirmative, _"Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I've been trolling all the sites, nobody seems have any inside knowledge, not even the deep forums. Trust me I checked."_

"So you're saying they controlled the leak?"

_"I'm saying there was no leak."_

"So you think Felicity lied to me?" Thea pauses, 

_"Ollie, what is this about?"_

"Nothing Speedy, I've got to go. Just don't mention the Laurel thing and we'll be fine."

He hangs up and turns off the phone, hiding it deeper in his drawer than previously, just in case. His head is swimming. He doesn't understand why Felicity would lie to him. There had been moment, back at Verdant, where he was certain that there was something between them, not just attraction, but some sort of connection. One that seemed to have disconnected as soon as she received the phone call. The way she reacted, it had to be more than a leak. He was certain. There was also the continuous mystery of her relationship with Waller. Oliver had been honest when he told her she could do amazing things. He just didn't understand why Felicity subjected herself to being Waller's pet.

There was a lot she wasn't telling him, and he was determined to find out. 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully you enjoyed it! Please comment, kudos, whatever and let me know what you think! It means so much to me!


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